


The Cobbler to an Abrasax

by aeolians



Series: The Abrasax Dynasty Chronicles [3]
Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Gen, Jupiter Ascending Fic Challenge, On Hiatus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-05-01 10:06:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5201816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeolians/pseuds/aeolians
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Calchas has made it his personal mission to outfit only the most elite of the universe's Entitled class with his special brand of footwear, so it was only a matter of time before he attempted to gain the patronage of the difficult Abrasax siblings.</p><p>And it wasn't until he met Jupiter Jones that he realized he may have singlehandedly provided the Abrasax Primary with the means to escape a refinery explosion...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cobbler to an Abrasax

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for this just being the first chapter—life got busy! Coming soon is parts two through four (Mr. Calchas's experiences with Titus, Kalique, and Balem, respectively) and the epilogue with Mr. Night that takes place directly after the events of the prologue.
> 
> Fic written for the JA Fic Challenge #6: "Home".

Mr. Calchas, a cobbler, was much unlike any shoe department salesman Jupiter had ever met.

The man reminded her of that horrible rat-person who had helped abduct her family last year. He had a pinched little nose and delicate but strong fingers, but whereas the rat splice—Mr. Night, or something ridiculous like that—made slower, more languid movements, Mr. Calchas seemed to always be on the move, always ready to sell you something.

Which was starting to get on Jupiter's nerves, since this was the third time Jupiter had been approached by him and not one of the times had been in a shoe department.

The first time Jupiter had met Mr. Calchas was when he bumped into her on the street, seemingly randomly. He had made a show of apologizing, dropped in the fact that he was a high-end cobbler currently working in a shoe department of some clothing store and offered to make Jupiter a pair of shoes for free as an apology.

Jupiter wasn't stupid, people don't just offer to make you haute couture footwear for nothing.

Brushing him him off, she thought that was the end of it until two weeks later when Jupiter turned the corner into an aisle in the convenience store down the road, and there was Mr. Calchas again. He was stooped slightly and very obviously looking like he was pretending to not see Jupiter until he glanced up in fake surprise.

Jupiter turned and left the store as Vladie dragged her away, who didn't understand why she had started going on a warpath on some random weirdo guy looking at chips.

Now here he was again, coming up behind her on the sidewalk as she made her way to buy groceries. This needed to stop. Now.

"But Ms. Jones, I really do not think you have thought this through! I have had the most elite, the most Entitled clientele! Surely such a  woman as yourself can see . . ."

Mr. Calchas rattled on, but Jupiter had stopped walking away from him to pause. Something he had set her off, and she really wished that Caine had come to the store with her. Putting her hand to the spot where she knew her title claim was tattooed into her skin, Jupiter turned slowly.

"What did you just say?"

Pausing, Mr. Calchas stuttered. "I-I, well, you see—"

"You said Entitled," Jupiter said, keeping her voice low. "With a capital 'e', I think. Which means you know what I am. _Who_  I am."

Mr. Calchas, for the first time, stood straight and looked her directly in the eyes. "I can't deny that you are right . . . your majesty."

"Don't call me that," Jupiter snapped, her body naturally adapting a defensive fight-or-flight position that Caine had taught her should she be found on Earth. "Not here. Or ever."

"But your m— Ah, you surely must be aware of—"

"No, Mr. Calchas, surely you must be aware that you're trespassing on this planet. On my _home_."

The martian cobbler remained silent, finally realizing that persuing business with the Queen of the Earth was a wrong move to make.

"How many of you are there?"

"Just me, none others."

"Don't lie to me," Jupiter hissed, forgetting to protect herself and taking a step closer out of anger. "How many have you brought with you?! Are there fleets of ships just waiting to attack? I swear to God, if you even _think_  about touching this planet or my family . . ."

"Worry not, your— Ms. Jones." Calchas put his hands into the air, quickly shuffling back to show that he meant no harm. "I am completely alone in my solicitation of your patronage! There is a private pod waiting for me, ready to take me back to the rock you call Pluto and there I shall board a ship. There is none immediately here with me!"

"Good." Standing straight and raising her head slightly, Jupiter forced herself to be as commanding as possible. "Go to your pod, Mr. Calchas. Fly off this planet, meet with your ship, and never return to this solar system again. Have I made myself clear?"

"Clear as crystal, your maj—" Calchas snapped his mouth shut, eyes bulging wide before he turned on his heel and scurried away from Jupiter. Pausing a few yards away, he hesitated just long enough to call back, "You truly are worthy of the Abrasax claim," before he continued on his retreat.

Jupiter watched Calchas until he turned the corner before pulling out her phone to call Caine. She needed to get back to the Bolotnikov house, fast. Cursing herself for not wearing the damn air-surfing boots, Jupiter didn't have to wait long for Caine to answer his phone.

"Your majesty rang?" Caine asked, a playful note to his tone. For once, Jupiter bristled at him calling her that.

"Caine, I need you to pick me up. Now."

Jupiter could hear that her boyfriend was moving swiftly. A door slammed as he asked, "Where are you?"

Looking at the closest street sign, Jupiter relayed her position. "There's an alley behind the warehouse. I'll be there."

"Stay safe," was all Caine said before he hung up, the sound of rushing air letting Jupiter know that he had taken off before he even finished speaking. Jupiter knew it would only take about four minutes for Caine to reach her at the speed he must be flying, but as she made her way into the back alley she couldn't help but watch every darkened window, never sure if an alien was waiting to shoot her down from behind the broken glass.

As soon as Caine landed he immediately glanced all over her body for wounds, his hands never leaving her jawline.

"Are you hurt?"

"No," she replied, folding herself against Caine's chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Just get me home as fast as you can. Someone's found me."

Caine nodded, immediately moving his arms around her waist and making sure she had a good grip on him before lifting off into the air.

As soon as they landed in Jupiter's back yard she rushed into the house, happy to see Aunt Nino in the kitchen cooking with Cousin Vladdie's wife. Everything seemed fine, but Jupiter was still uneasy.

" **Mom**?" Jupiter asked, speaking in Russain for Nino.

"Living room, re-hemming some sheets," Jupiter's aunt said, barely looking up.

Rushing through the kitchen, Jupiter shot into the living room to find her mother bent over a pair of old sheets with more on the floor, waiting to be done. She let out a huge breath before realizing that she had been even holding it.

"Jupiter," Aleksa said, surprised to see her daughter home so early. "What are you doing home? We weren't expecting you until dinner. Speaking of which . . ." Aleksa pointed to the obvious lack of groceries before looking Jupiter in the face, a bemused smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She stopped, though, when she noticed that Jupiter was scanning the room and glancing out the window as if looking for some unseen attacker.

"Jupiter? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Jupiter turned back to Aleksa, snapping out of her focus. Realizing the concern on her mother's face, Jupiter brushed it off. "Oh, it's nothing. I, uh . .  just heard about some bad activities in the area and wanted to check in. Just got scared, I guess."

Aleksa's face crumpled as she tossed aside the sheets and put her hands to Jupiter's face. " **Oh child** ," Aleksa said in Russain, pulling Jupiter in close. "I'm so sorry. After what happened to your father, I can only imagine what was going through your head."

Jupiter's heart felt like it had dropped to her stomach. She didn't even think of what her excuse for seeming worried would bring up for her mother. She couldn't exactly say ' _I was worried that aliens had kidnapped you again, or something worse_ ,' could she? No, she said what she had to keep her secret and her inheritance from the ones who wouldn't be in danger if they knew.

And sometimes that meant having to lie in the worst way to protect your family and home.

—————

Elsewhere in Chicago, Mr. Calchas was grumbling to himself as he made his way to the cheap hotel room he had been using during his stay on Her Majesty's planet.

He should have known that Her Majesty, still fresh to this new life that the Abrasax siblings dragged her into, would have seen his persistent solicitations as a threat. He shouldn't have tried to trick her into anything, he should have just offered his services to her as he had those Abrasax brats.

He couldn't help but chuckle darkly as he thought of those times long gone now. Back when he truly was the best cobbler in the galaxy. Back before the War of the Recurrence dragged Her Majesty Jupiter Jones, First of Her Name, into a sibling battle that stretched back centuries before her birth. He remembered those shoes that he had made for each sibling: for Lord Titus, rubies as red as blood; for the Lady Kalique, heels of pure and rare iridescent crystal; for Lord Balem, silver veins as hard and cold as stone.

Suddenly, Calchas paused. He laughed nasally, cursing himself and his stupidity at only just making the most important realization of his life. How could he have overlooked such an important possibility? He hurried, determined to collect his things from the hotel before returning to his pod. He had designed Lord Balem's shoes, after all. Because if anyone should have realized that Lord Balem could be alive somewhere, it was him.

After all, if Lord Balem was wearing Calchas' shoes the day his Jupiter refinery blew up, then it was Calchas who provided the Abrasax Primary a means of escape. And that meant a large reward for Calchas.

One that would become even larger if he informed Lord Balem exactly where he could find the woman with his mother's face who completely ruined his life.


End file.
